#CookBlogShare 4 Plus 4 comforting winter dishes

Welcome to #CookBlogShare wk 4 round up and linky . It’s still pretty chilly out there, so for this roundup I have chosen 4 comforting winter dishes from the many fabulous dishes linked up last week.

Four Comforting Winter Dishes

I don’t know about you, but this January seems to have been a long one and Christmas already feels like a long time ago. Maybe it is because the weather here in the South East of England has been wet, grey, and miserable. I have to admit I was tempted to choose some sweet bakes for this roundup to cheer myself up. There are some lovely ones linked up. But, as I am trying to watch my weight a bit at the moment (I know along with thousands of others at this time of the year) I decided to opt for a savoury roundup instead. Let’s face it, salads are not going to cut it at the moment, so I have chosen comforting winter warmers. True, they might not exactly be low in calories but I feel more virtuous than opting for something sweet.

If you are new to Recipes Made Easy or #CookBlogShare, this is where I host what is known in the blogging world as a linky where other bloggers can link up their foodie posts. This allows them to potentially reach new audiences and for you, my readers, to hop over and check out some other bloggers’ recipes. #CookBlogShare is a weekly linky which I host every four weeks. On the other weeks, you will find the linky either with Monika at Everyday Healthy Recipes, Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie, or Kirsty at Hijacked by Twins. Bloggers have a week to link up their recipes and the following week we will choose our favourites from the week before in a roundup. You can find my previous #CookBlogShare Recipes Made Easy Linkies Here , if you want to see what other recipes have been linked in the past.

Ragù Bolognese

Who can resist a bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese when its cold outside? To me, this is true comfort food: filling and delicious. I’m a huge fan of batch cooking for the freezer and I have to say that this is my standard dish for batch cooking as it freezes and reheats so well. This Ragù Bolognese from Jo’s Kitchen Larder is made in bulk. Jo says on her blog:

“I’m sure there are as many different variations of Ragù Bolognese as there are people who make it.”

and she is probably not far off. I have been making it all my adult life and it was one of the first recipes I shared On Recipes Made Easy (you can find my go to recipe for Bolognese sauce here but excuse the pics, it was my early days blogging with an iphone) and I vary it according to what I have to hand. What appeals to me with Jo’s recipe is that she uses her Instant Pot on the pressure cooker function, cutting the cooking time down to just 15 minutes, once all the ingredients have been added. For those who don’t know, Instant Pot is an electric multi cooker which works as steam, slow cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker and rice cooker. I purchased one six months ago and am really impressed with it but as yet have not used to to make Bolognese. That may change soon.

Salami and Pork Ragu

If, on the other hand, you would like to try a slightly different variation to the usual Bolognese sauce, this Salami and Pork Ragu by Debbie at The Proper foodie could be right up your street. Debbie describes it as:

“made in the traditional Italian way with the addition of fragrant fresh rosemary andliquorice flavoured, fennel salami”

Slow Cooker Pork and Mustard Stew

Cat at Curly’s Cooking has opted for the slow cook approach to making this lovely Pork and Mustard Stew (another recipe suitable for the Instant Pot using the slow cooker function or any other slow cooker).Cat suggests serving it with jacket potatoes and vegetables although she also says:

” I tend to eat a large bowl of this with just vegetables. If you are eating it like that I would say this probably feeds two people whereas if you are serving it with potatoes it could be stretched to four people.”

Flavoured with cider and mustard this is another ideal comforting dish ideal for a cold and wet January meal.

Spiced Lentil and Vegetable Soup

“It’s the perfect time of year for this warming winter vegetable lentil soup. The dark, grey days that follow Christmas often feel like some of the bleakest of the year. Spring feels a long way away and thoughts of the cold, damp, fog that is just the other side of the front door need pushing from our minds.”

There were several other soups linked up last week including Easy Peasy Foodie’s Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup and A strong cup of coffee’s Cauliflower and Stilton Soup to name just two. In the end, I opted for the Spiced Lentil and Vegetable Soup for the roundup because Anna has a point. Just looking at this soup with those lovely vegetables and hearty lentils in it cheers me up.

#COOKBLOGSHARE WK 4

Now to this week’s linky.

Non-bloggers – skip to the bottom of the page and click on the thumbnails that catch your eye to take you to the website where the recipe can be found. Remember they will be added to as the week goes on so don’t forget to pop back and take a look again later.

Bloggers – you can link up any foodie posts you have. Both old and new posts are welcome. All you need to do is:

Link up a recipe or foodie post by clicking the blue ‘add your link’ button below and following the instructions. You can link up to 4 posts.

Add a link from your post back to this post (so everyone else can find it and link up too!)

Add the #CookBlogShare badge to your post (Code below – for WordPress copy and paste the code below into the text view of your post).

Comment on some of the other recipes linked up here (at least 2 for each link added) and generally share the love with a bit of social media action!

Plus comment on either this post or one of the post labelled HOST in the linky.

About Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Jacqueline has been a cookery writer and food stylist for over 25 years and is a member of the Guild of Food Writers. She is the author of 18 cookbooks and now writes two blogs where she shares the recipes she cooks at home for family and friends, or just for fun. Jacqueline started her food writing career on a weekly magazine and as a result likes to champion good basic home cooking. The daughter of a master baker she is passionate about home baking and is happiest in the kitchen knocking up a batch of buns or baking a loaf of bread. Jacqueline has two grown sons and lives with her husband in Central London.

Reader Interactions

Comments

This DOES feel like the January that will never end, doesn’t it?! I am not a winter person anyway, but I think I’ll feel better about life in general with these yummy comfort food meals. Just looking at these photos has already put me in a better frame of mind!

It’s not just the south-east of England that’s been dark, cold and miserable Jacqui. Up hee in Yorkshire it’s been so miserable too – though I’m noticing that the lighting up time of the street light is slowly getting later! Little things! It’s definitely comfort food all the way at this time of yr isn’t it Jacqui, I’m just loving Anna’s Spiced Lentil & Vegetable Soup. Angela x

Thank you for including my bolognese in your comforting winter dishes round up Jacqui! 🙂 I agree with you on Anna’s soup, just looking at it makes you feel comforted and nourished! Imagine how you feel when you actually eat it! Might be giving it a go!

What a fab roundup – I especially love Debbie’s Ragu and homemade pasta – YUM! I’ve never tried salami in ragu, but now I really want to!! Thanks also for the little mention of my soup 🙂 I’ve just linked up the bread to go with it! Eb x

Thank you for hosting. I linked my Weight Watchers Veggie Soup, an Amish Pasta Salad and very Berry Pancakes for that weekend brunch. I hope you enjoy them! Have a happy week! #OverTheMoon #WWBlogHop #ThursdayFavoriteThings